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69 arrested in LA street takeover bust
LAPD arrested 69 people and issued 570 citations after officers surrounded more than 700 people at an illegal street takeover in Harbor Gateway.
LOS ANGELES - LAPD arrested 69 people, issued 570 citations and impounded 200 vehicles after officers surrounded more than 700 people at an illegal street takeover in Harbor Gateway.
Police also recovered seven firearms and canisters of nitrous oxide. One vehicle caught fire during the operation. LAPD said no officers were injured.
FOX 11 was the only television station given a behind-the-scenes look as officers planned and carried out "Operation Street Sweeper" near South Figueroa Street and West Alondra Boulevard.
What we know:
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the operation began around 2 a.m. Saturday.
Through intelligence gathering and drone surveillance, police identified four separate street takeovers as they developed overnight. The operation culminated at Figueroa and Alondra, an intersection surrounded by homes and apartment buildings.
From a command post, officers watched the crowd grow car by car.
"The cars with the hazard lights on are normally those that are involved in the street take over so we’ll monitor them with the drones right now," LAPD Deputy Chief Marc Reina said.
More than 150 officers were deployed for the special assignment. At roll call, officers were told to approach without lights or sirens. Arrest teams waited out of sight while the crowd continued to grow.
"So picking someone off here, picking someone off there is not having the effect we want," Reina said. "We want to send a message to these people that everyone's going to jail."
Once more than 700 people had converged at Figueroa and Alondra, officers moved in simultaneously from multiple directions.
"So we have them boxed in in all directions, north, south, east, and west," LAPD Commander Elaine Morales said.
McDonnell said the objective was not to disperse the crowd and allow the takeover to move somewhere else. Police wanted to contain the participants and spectators before they could scatter.
Officers then searched people one by one, loaded arrested participants onto two jail buses and lined up tow trucks to remove vehicles from the intersection.
The size of the crowd prompted LAPD to declare a tactical alert and summon additional personnel from across the city.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol later joined the operation.
Four Homeland Security Investigations agents assigned to a human trafficking task force were also at the scene. McDonnell said the federal investigators remained along the perimeter for officer protection, took no enforcement action and had no role in immigration enforcement.
By the numbers:
LAPD provided the following final results:
- 69 total arrests
- 66 people arrested for allegedly participating in or aiding a street race or takeover
- One additional arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer
- One additional battery arrest
- One additional arrest for allegedly obstructing or interfering with officers
- 570 total citations
- 442 citations for spectating at a speed contest or exhibition of speed
- 128 citations issued to juveniles for curfew violations
- 200 vehicles impounded
- Seven firearms recovered
Officers also recovered canisters of nitrous oxide. McDonnell said the chemical can be inhaled to get high or used to give vehicles a sudden boost in horsepower. He described it as dangerous and highly flammable.
One vehicle caught fire during the operation, creating another threat to the crowd and responding officers.
LAPD was still processing the 200 impounded vehicles and had not determined how many, if any, were stolen.
McDonnell said vehicles used in street takeovers can include stolen cars, rentals and vehicles belonging to participants’ parents. He did not provide a confirmed breakdown of the vehicles seized during Operation Street Sweeper.
What they're saying:
David Matthews lives near Figueroa and Alondra and said the takeover crews had become predictable.
"So this crew usually comes on Saturday morning at 3:14, Sunday morning at 3:14, and then they come Monday morning at, like, 5:00 AM," Matthews said.
Matthews said the noise wakes children in the neighborhood and the smell of burning rubber reaches nearby homes. He welcomed the operation after repeatedly seeing takeovers at the intersection.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker said residents regularly contact his office after weekend takeovers. He said the gatherings keep families awake and expose surrounding homes and businesses to dangerous driving and other crimes.
McDonnell focused part of his message on the 128 juveniles cited for violating curfew. He said LAPD has encountered children as young as 11 at street takeovers and urged parents to know where their children are.
"This is not a fun activity or event. This is a crime scene. And they could be the next one to get the call that, ‘Hey, something happened to your kid, and you need to come to the hospital or, or to the coroner's office.’ And we don't wanna make those calls or, uh, visit a parent's house and have to break that kind of news," McDonnell said.
What's next:
FOX 11 asked McDonnell whether LAPD could sustain an operation requiring more than 150 officers or whether the crackdown was limited to the holiday weekend.
"Yeah, not just because of the holiday weekend," McDonnell said. "But as we can, and as the situation dictates, we will put together task forces with the CHP and with our partners at LASD to be able to address these kind of needs."
McDonnell acknowledged that it is difficult to assemble that many officers for a special assignment while LAPD remains short-staffed.
He did not say when the next operation would occur, but said Operation Street Sweeper was "not a one-off."
LAPD said it is continuously monitoring intelligence and tracking the people organizing takeovers. McDonnell said organizers who use social media to bring people together for a criminal act could face felony conspiracy charges.
The chief also wants legislation allowing the city to seize and potentially crush vehicles used in takeovers. McDonnell said that proposal would require action by the Los Angeles City Council.
Police are also asking residents to continue reporting street takeovers. McDonnell said license plate information can help investigators identify participants and organizers, but residents should only gather that information when they can do so safely.